A TODDLER died when the spare battery for a pair 3D glasses became lodged in her throat and corroded, an inquest heard.

The inquest held at Basingstoke Magistrates’ court heard how two-year-old Francesca Asan died on May 23 at Basingstoke hospital after she had swallowed the three volt button battery, which became lodged in her oesophagus and eroded through to her right artery and caused blood clots to form in her stomach.

Francesca’s father, George, 37, from Basingstoke, told the inquest that at first he thought it might have been food poisoning as he had seen similar symptoms in his other children.

He said: “We took her to the GP’s and they said to just monitor her.”

After a few days Mr Asan said his daughter was having restless nights sleeping and kept pointing to her mouth saying she was in pain so the father-of-six made an emergency dentist appointment.

He added: “The dentist suggested it was a teething problem and at that moment I relaxed a little bit

“When we left the dentist she went floppy and I ran home ran home with her and we changed her nappy because it was black, I called a taxi and took her straight to the hospital.

“While in the elevator I noticed her gasp so I ran up the stairs to E-ward and just shouted for help.”

Francesca was treated at Basingstoke hospital but died from acute gastro haemorrhage following the incident in May this year.

When asked by North Hampshire Coroner Andrew Bradley where the battery had come from, a dignified Mr Asan said the spares were in a box in a drawer which he believed the children in his busy house would not go into.

He added: “The mornings are very busy, we tried to control a lot in the house be we did not do enough, I did not do enough.”

Passing a verdict of misadventure, Mr Bradley said: “They (children) are attracted to these objects and the first thing they want to do is put it in their mouth.

“If anything comes of this it is to make people aware of these things.”

Speaking after the hearing Mr Asan paid tribute to his daughter calling her a “fully grown up princess.”

He added: “She had a very strong will and a strong personality, she knew exactly what she was doing, like she wouldn’t just smile for the sake of smiling.”